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Transportation and Infrastructure Issues

This page offers an easy way for policymakers to access transportation and infrastructure research and analysis that is relevant to current Congressional agendas. For additional information, to request documents, or to arrange a briefing, contact the RAND Office of Congressional Relations at ocr@rand.org or (703) 413-1100 x5643.

Recent Findings

Smuggling unlawful migrants from Central America to the United States generated between $200 million and $2.3 billion for human smugglers in 2017. The wide range reflects uncertainty about the number of migrants, their use of smugglers, and the fees they pay. Transnational criminal organizations are only one type of actor involved.

As space becomes more congested with satellites of all sizes and types, the need for every nation to actively participate in the space safety coordination system grows. Most spacefaring countries participate, but a few countries do not—notably, Russia and China. That creates greater potential for collisions and hazards from debris.

California hospitals are required by law to reduce their buildings' risk of collapse by 2020 and to remain operational after an earthquake by 2030. Hospitals have to pay for the upgrades, which could cost between $34 billion and $143 billion statewide. One third of California hospitals are already in some form of financial distress.

Counterterrorism finance strategies have reduced terrorist access to official currencies. Will terrorist groups therefore increase their use of digital cryptocurrencies? New ones have emerged, including some that claim to be more private and secure than Bitcoin, but they also have limitations that make them less viable.

California's Human Right to Water Bill declares that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.” One clear barrier to reaching this target is the sheer number of small water utilities that pose service sustainability and public health risks to their customers.

Briefings

An infrastructure bill is on the agenda for Congress, but what problems would it fix? In a RAND Congressional Briefing, Debra Knopman will discuss policies that promote and deter investment and maintenance of water and transportation infrastructure.

Increasing fuel efficiency and the rise of alternative fuel vehicles that do not use gasoline have led to growing shortfalls in federal and state funding for surface transportation programs — shortfalls that are likely to become even more acute in coming years. In this Congressional Briefing, Liisa Ecola will discuss innovations in the use of mileage-based fees.

After examining the advantages and disadvantages of autonomous vehicles, RAND researchers determined that the overall societal benefits of this new technology likely outweigh the disadvantages. Senior behavioral scientist James Anderson will present the study results.

What will transportation look like in the United States in the year 2030? Multiple mobility scenarios are possible. Come hear how policymakers and planners can shape the future of mobility in the United States and what factors will influence the creation of the future transportation system.

What can be done to reduce the chances of widespread disaster when the next "Sandy" hits? Jordan Fischbach will discuss how climate change and other long-term challenges can affect coasts and the tools federal or state policymakers will need to address them.

What are the biggest transportation and infrastructure issues facing the 116th Congress? RAND experts offer up insight on a variety of topics, including autonomous vehicles, infrastructure and roadway safety, the Coast Guard, and more.

More than 100 Americans die in motor vehicle crashes every day. The traffic safety community is working together toward the goal of bringing that number down to zero by 2050. Scenario planning has uncovered several ways federal policymakers can help make the vision of zero traffic deaths a reality.

What can Congress do to better align policy and spending to public priorities for U.S. infrastructure? Increased federal spending may do some good, but it will not fix what is broken in our approach to funding and financing public works—and not everything is broken.

When considering regulations for autonomous vehicles, safety is a critical question. RAND researchers found that introducing autonomous vehicles when they are just better than human drivers—as opposed to nearly perfect—could save hundreds of thousands of lives over 30 years.

Before autonomous vehicles can usher in a new era of safer transportation, there are several challenges to address. Policymakers can help improve autonomous vehicle safety by facilitating pilot studies and data-sharing.

What if the United States invested just 10 percent more—$57.9 million—in traffic safety? A new RAND tool examines how this increase may impact safety outcomes such as lives saved and injury prevention.

Recently, the Senate took steps to expand funding for 24/7 Sobriety Programs, like one in South Dakota. These programs are a promising and innovative way to help curb problem drinking and improve public health.

With the ongoing challenges of transportation funding, some lawmakers have begun to explore a shift from taxing fuel to taxing a vehicle's miles of travel. An objective look at this solution outlines advantages, core challenges, and recent innovations that states are exploring through pilot programs.

Some state and federal policymakers have begun to explore a shift from taxing fuel to taxing a vehicle's miles of travel instead. A short, easy-to-understand guide by RAND researchers outlines the potential advantages and core challenges of such mileage fees.

RAND.org has been reimagined to make high quality research and insights more accessible to Hill staff like you. The new homepage and updated navigation optimize content delivery for your preferred device and place our most timely content at your fingertips.

Tools developed by RAND for use in Louisiana can help policymakers in other coastal states weigh complex decisions on the many possible strategies to prevent coastal land loss, reduce flood risks, rebuild or restore coastal environments, and otherwise increase the resilience of developed coastlines.

Today, city planners, nongovernmental organizations, philanthropists, and government leaders are grappling with the challenge of creating disaster-resilient cities. RAND's new easy-to-use, self-guided online training shows organizations and communities how to strengthen their resilience.

The cost of gasoline experienced an unusually large increase this February, with prices climbing more than 40 cents per gallon. Yet not a single penny of that increase went toward improving America's roads.

In a January 2013 Congressional Briefing, Jordan Fischbach describes RAND's work on the 2012 Coastal Master Plan and key lessons that can make other communities more resilient in the face of natural disasters.

A new primer outlines for state and local decisionmakers the potential advantages of mileage fees, functional requirements and technical options for implementing them, core challenges in replacing fuel taxes with mileage fees, and recent innovations that states are exploring in pilot tests.

Northeastern policymakers reeling from Hurricane Sandy can draw on the Gulf region's experience with response and recovery. As they go forward, they can also look at the measures Louisiana has developed to reduce the risk of storm damage.

TSA is performing well under extraordinary difficulties, but there is still need for vast improvement. As attack tactics have continued to evolve, the need for security has resulted in an increasing number of layers—and frustrations—for passengers.

Hurricane Isaac made landfall just before September, which is National Disaster Preparedness month. Although Isaac was a weaker Category 1 Hurricane, many areas of the Gulf Coast evacuated the population, and federal, state, and local governments are responding to the flood damage. But are there areas for improvement?

As airport security lines get longer, travelers continue to ask: are all the baggage screenings, shoe removals, and pat-downs worth the extra time and hassle? RAND researchers assess the costs and benefits of aviation security interventions in order to help policymakers decide on potential changes to the system.

FEMA's National Preparedness Month in September kicks off hurricane season and encourages Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies. RAND research aims to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

Energy services analysis finds that a typical driver who shifts from owning a car to participating in a vehicle-sharing program would likely emit 893 kilograms (almost 2,000 pounds) of CO2 equivalent per year less than if he or she continued to own a car.

RAND has implemented and evaluated community resilience-building activities worldwide and identified opportunities to integrate governments with the non-profit and for-profit sectors in public health and emergency preparedness, infrastructure protection, and development of economic recovery programs.

Testimony presented before the House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee and Governmental Reform, Subcommittee on National Security and Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules on December 10, 2015.

Document submitted on July 31, 2015 as an addendum to testimony presented before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies on June 24, 2015.

Document submitted on September 18, 2014 as an addendum to testimony presented before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Research and Technology and Subcommittee on Oversight on July 31, 2014.

Testimony presented to the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science, and Technology on August 8, 2006.

Briefs

RAND researchers examined the structure, operations, and financing of actors that engage in human smuggling along routes from Central America to the United States and developed a preliminary estimate of revenues associated with human smuggling.

By using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, this study found improving transportation multimodal connectivity has a positive impact on multilateral trade across countries and regions along China Belt and Road Initiative.

Every military activity has informational aspects, but the information environment (IE) is not well integrated into military planning, doctrine, or processes. Better understanding of the IE will improve command and control and situational awareness.

This brief examines the developing technology for using drones to deliver packages and attempts to identify the societal impacts, including potential effects on aerial congestion, noise, privacy, and other outcomes.

For More Information

Legislative Analyst

Laura Patton is a legislative analyst at the RAND Corporation, focusing on homeland security and terrorism, safety and justice, and transportation and infrastructure. Prior to joining RAND, she served as a legislative assistant for Congressman David Obey (D-WI), chairman of the House…

Legislative Analyst

Grace Evans is the legislative analyst at the RAND Corporation for education, energy and environment, the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute, the arts, judiciary issues, and child policy. Prior to joining RAND, she was a policy associate at Health Care for America Now and worked for Congressman…

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